370 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [16:9— Dec, 1920 



will leave their roosting places in the ponds early in the morning 

 and go to the fields where they feed until satisfied or tired, when 

 they betake themselves to the water to probe the muddy bottoms 

 for small mollusks, fish worms and rootlets of water plants. Corn, 

 when ripe is another favorite cereal of the mallard and I have seen 

 them climb upon the shocks of corn standing in the fields in order 

 to feast upon the ears. Unlike other ducks which become indolent 

 and lazy after a plentiful dinner, the mallard becomes very' lively, 

 exercising, diving and spattering the water, half flying and running 

 along the surface of the pond. 



In early spring we can hear the cheerful calling of the mallards 

 as they go north to their nesting grounds, passing through the 

 same air lanes year after year. Upon reaching the breeding 

 grounds the mating commences. It is worth while to observe 

 the courtship of the drake. I have watched them on the Klamath 

 Lake in Oregon where mallards nest in great numbers, and where 

 the flag covered shores afford a great opportunity to study these 

 birds in their native and unmolested haunts. Never was there a 

 more courteous or gallant courting. Mallards are strictly monog- 

 amous and remain paired for life. One would naturally expect 

 that such an ardent lover as the drake would also make a good 

 father but, after the mating season, he becomes indifferent and 

 does not assist the female in nesting or raising of the ducklings. 

 The female however is the best of mothers, leaving her nest with 

 six to a dozen eggs only when hunger drives her in search of food ; 

 and even before leaving, she carefully pulls down the surrounding 

 cover so as to protect her greenish gray treasures from the vision 

 of possible enemies. 



Mallards are very plentiful and are widely distributed. They 

 are the best known wild ducks as they are the ancestors of one of 

 our domesticated species. Their tendency to flock together and 

 to come to decoys, either of wood or captives used for this purpose, 

 cause many mallards to be killed yearly by hunters. Aside from 

 man, the mallard also has natural enemies. The large water rats 

 and pike do the greatest damage to the ducklings; while the fast 

 flying duck hawks find them easy prey, overtaking them and while 

 in air sinking their needle-sharp talons into the tender portions 

 of the mallard anatomy. 



